WomenInTech. "A woman helping another woman is priceless," — successful young women from Kazakhstan share their journey in IT

Dana Erlanova, city — Almaty, founder of the children’s programming school SalemCode, @yerlandana

About myself

Interesting facts: I was invited twice to Google’s headquarters in San Francisco. I have my own programming school, and I lived in America for a year and a half. Currently, I have a young child, and I sometimes think that while my peers are just finishing university, I have already gained four years of work experience, started a business, launched a blog, and entered a new social status.

Even during my school years, I actively engaged in programming and achieved success, participating in the global finals of the Google Science Fair. My desire to earn money as early as possible led me to teach programming, while simultaneously completing a bootcamp at Kolesa Group and studying at KBTU. Later, I realized that university education was not for me at that time, so I opened the SalemCode programming school at the age of 19. We prepared students for various programs, such as Young&Yandex, Samsung Coding Lab, and others.

I enjoyed teaching, but at the age of 20, I wanted something more. I quickly get bored with routine work, so I moved to America to realize myself and enroll in university. There, I came across the CodePath program, which offers free training to students of American universities in various fields, from mobile development to technical interview preparation.

I applied and completed the iOS development bootcamp, and served as a technical mentor twice. To complete the program, you first need to complete a technical assignment and then record a video with answers to the questions they send. Currently, my plans include blogging on Instagram and YouTube, and opening an office for the programming school in Almaty.

How I entered the IT field

I entered the IT field in 2018 when I participated in the nFactorial Summer Bootcamp, where we developed applications using React.js. In 10 weeks, I was able to create an application from scratch and even made it into the top 20 finalists. During the bootcamp, there were many boys in our cohort, and initially, I had doubts because I felt awkward asking for help. However, by the third day, these doubts disappeared because the mentors established a rule: if you don’t complete the task on time, you are eliminated from the program. This motivated me to actively network and ask for help.

About stereotypes

There is a stereotype that the IT field is more for men, but somehow it passed me by. There are simply many men in the field, so it takes women some time to fit into the atmosphere. I more often encountered situations where I was underestimated as a specialist based on my appearance, both in business and in IT.

Barriers for women in IT

First, there are fewer women in leadership positions in IT, which can create a lack of role models and mentors. I kept a blog and shared my knowledge, which gave me confidence when applying to American companies and helped me stand out. I also passed the IELTS, and regularly improving my Soft Skills helps me advance in my career.

Second, the balance between work and personal life: women often take on more household responsibilities and family care, which can hinder career growth. Currently, I have a child, and I ask my close ones, specifically my mother-in-law, to help me. I openly talk about my goals, and they support me. A woman helping another woman is invaluable. If we, women, support each other, we can raise a successful generation of girls.

Recommendations for those just starting their journey

If you are just starting your journey, give yourself permission to make mistakes and do not lose the motivation you have at the beginning. The longer you stay in the field, the more opportunities you will see.

WomenInTech. “It is difficult for women not to lose themselves in the pursuit of family idyll,” — Madina Zhakina on challenges in IT

Madina Zhakina, city — Karaganda, pentester, @md_sweet02, Linkedin    

About myself

I am an eternal student focused on a career in cybersecurity. Currently, I am enhancing my qualifications by obtaining a master’s degree in information technology.

At the same time, I work as a penetration tester at the FinTech company Wooppay, where I actively ensure the security of financial transactions by testing for security and eliminating vulnerabilities in the company’s projects.

Additionally, I love exploring new places and cultures while traveling.

During my undergraduate studies, I majored in “Information Security.” In my first year, I did not have a clear idea of which direction I would develop in. Therefore, I decided that during my student years, I should try different directions and choose one. I studied on exchange programs at European universities and participated in various events, olympiads, and hackathons.

I started looking for a job six months before graduating from university. This way, I had enough time to understand the labor market, what they expect from me as a specialist, and what I want from my future workplace. In addition, there is the well-known paradox: “You can’t get a job without experience, but you can’t get experience without a job.” Therefore, all my student experience, which I mentioned earlier, was carefully and beautifully reflected in my resume.

My current position is my first job, my first work experience in an IT company, in a team, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in an open space. Along with my duties, I had to learn a lot: understand work processes, interaction with departments, and how business processes are structured. Technology is also constantly evolving, so it is important to continuously improve skills. In my free time, I read articles about IT and cybersecurity, and take courses. This helps me apply new knowledge in practice.

How I entered the IT field

After returning from Romania following academic mobility studies, I began actively searching for a job in Astana and Karaganda as an information security specialist. At that time, a vacancy opened for a pentester position at the company where I had interned in my third year. After passing an interview with several professionals, I received the coveted offer. And now, for over a year, I have been working in the IT field.

About stereotypes

If there is such a concept as “a woman’s place is in the kitchen.” It existed among the older generation, but it should no longer be familiar to the new generation. Fortunately, personally, I have not encountered this stereotype in my life, but I have heard biased opinions from some acquaintances, which is disappointing.

To fill gaps in the labor market and attract women’s attention, various programs are offered. Women have many opportunities for career growth, especially in the field of information technology; for example, there are programs like IT-Aiel and TechGirl. I think this is an excellent approach to breaking stereotypes.

Barriers for women in IT

It is difficult for women not to lose themselves in the pursuit of family idyll and career growth. Household chores will not disappear, but if relatives, such as fathers, husbands, and brothers, help lighten the burden on women’s shoulders, it will not only help strengthen relationships but also provide additional time for women’s self-development.

Recommendations for those just starting their journey

Since I am a young specialist, I think my advice will be most useful for students and graduates. During university studies, I recommend participating in various events, such as exchange programs, internships both within and outside the university, conferences, and hackathons. This will help you broaden your horizons, understand where you can develop, find a circle of like-minded people, and brighten up your daily routine.

Here is a list of conferences where you can listen to interesting talks on various IT topics and internships you can apply for:

— Terricon Valley

— KazHackStan

— Kolesa Group

— Astana Hub/Tech Orda

— Amazon Internship

— Google Internship

— Bolashak Internship

— UN Internship.

Be curious and ask questions. Sometimes it seems that your question is too stupid, or you should already know the answer to this question. But it is better to ask again and prevent mistakes than to correct them later.